Chain Locker Drain Into Greywater Tank

[James S]

When I installed my greywater main run from my forward head to the tank, I left an opening at the forward most end of the line to allow me to tie in a drain line from the chain locker (with p-trap)

The reason I did this is the only water I get in the bilge forward of the packing gland is from the wet chain. It travels all the way back to my sump under the engine.

I figured if I could install a drain just a bit off the bottom of the chain locker I could save a lot of mess in the bilge.

I have a nice slope and everything seems to work out well for this.

Is there some good reason I shouldn’t continue with this?

Am I missing something?

[hellosailor]

The only negatives I could think of, would be silt or gunk draining off the chain and eventually either stinking up your tank, or filling it up. And, in a heavy sea, water draining into the anchor locker might keep filling that tank--until it overflows and goes where?

A direct drain to a through-hull might be a more trustworthy way to go.

Graywater run: You run the water from the sink & shower to a separate storage tank for flushing the head? Or...?

[James S]

Thanks Hellosailor

I'm trying real hard to keep down the boat smell.

Grey water does smell so its not suitable for flushing for me.

My toilets are both taking their flush water from a dedicated tank that would normally be filled with fresh water...it can also be filled with sea water.

The toilets flush into a blackwater tank.

All the sinks and showers gravity drain into the grey water tank.

The idea was to install the drain in the chain locker on the side, just above the floor so I could muck out the mud or grass before it gets into the tank.

I will put a valve on the drain for heavy seas.

The bottom of the locker is below the water line so a direct drain is not easy...I will look at the possibility of raising that area but I'm not keen on another thru-hole if I can help it…I would also have to do considerable raising of the locker sides ….but it is worth looking into.

Thanks again.

[MarkJ]

I thought an anchor locker should always empty directly overboard as its too easy to cop a green one right inside.


James, just drill a 1 inch hole in the side of your boat above the waterline for a drain... each side

Agree with Hellosailor Seacock would be the way to go

[James S]

It's only the chain locker, not actually the anchor locker....it lives on the bow roller.
The green does get in but only via the Hasser pipe.
The locker isn’t all sealed up the sides...drilling holes means additional extensive glassing.
My grey water tank is quite large...80gal.

[hellosailor]

OK, I'm still clueless. What's the purpose of a gray water tank on your boat?

[James S]

Its a place for the sink and shower drain water to live until I can get out to sea and dump it.
No discharge areas are getting more and more conmen.
Some of the most pristine gunk holing around here is in Turkey...some of those areas are very strict.
Since I'm doing a major refit I thought it prudent to try and set the boat up in a way that would comply.

[hellosailor]

And yet I'm still clueless. If you have to hold the gray water the same way, in the same places, that you hold the black water...why not run it all into one same holding tank? What does the separate gray water tank buy you?

[James S]

Just space....I do have a black water tank as well.
Some dock side pump outs differentiate between grey and black.
I have long deep bilges and am well suited for this.

[s/v Jedi]

We have a gray water tank too and like it. Every drain in the boat is like in a home and gravity fed into the GW tank which is inside the keel.

But I don't like draining the chain locker in the GW tank because you open a path from the sea into the boat interior. I think this is to be avoided no matter how much glassing has to be done ;-)

We drain in into the bilge.... forward of the watertight bulkhead. Might that be an answer for you? The other option is to build the floor of the locker up to above waterlevel and drain overboard directly... loosing precious volume for chain... touch decisions...

cheers,
Nick.

[James S]

I'll have a look at that possibility.
But I have to say the difference between Hasser pipe water going into the GW tank, and drain holes near the water line.................
Since I have to access my chain locker, it probably won’t be water tight....could be, but probably won’t be....
Seems like I would need to open and close the drain hole each time I whey anchor....That may not be that big a deal.....is that what you do!

[s/v Jedi]

As long as the floor of the locker is above waterline, the top is above it too and when the drain is above waterline too, I can't see a problem. Just put a plastic valve or seacock on for longer/rougher passages but I don't think water will come in there. Put one of those scoop-strainers on backwards so that it actually creates a vacuum! There's nice stainless steel thingies that work too; they are used for cabling... cable shells?

We just drain into the bilge of the forward sail locker, which has a watertight bulkhead to the midsection of the boat (we have an aft watertight bulkhead too). We always have water there, both from rough sailing and from rainwater. But there's two bilge pumps and it's all plastic fantastic in there ;-)

If I pull my depth sounder transducer and just let the water come in (I did that for fun ;-) I get about 1 foot of water at the aft end and 1" at the forward end (3" draft there...) and this isn't even visible on the waterline so we maintain trim. Nice to know.

cheers,
Nick.

[James S]

Sounds like you've got a sweat set up.....I have read about your boat in The Offshore Cruisers Encyclopedia….. nice!

Thanks for the help.

[hellosailor]

Thanks, James.
The dockside pumps that differentiate--is that common in the EU now? Or just Turkey? I don't recall seeing them in the US, but working pumpout stations are still a rarity in many parts of the US.

[James S]

I don’t personally know of any but, but I've met a Croatian sailor that said they are getting more common in Turkey...I haven’t been there yet since I'm still working on her, (the boat….not the Croatian sailor)
In any case ...I'll be ready for what ever.